The Wolf or the Man?
by Marie Nomad
Summary: After Buu, Yamcha had strange dreams and discovers why he always feel different.


Hi! This is a one-shot, I don't have any sequels in mind but if anyone wants to make a sequel, you can ask me. I don't own DBZ. Many thanks to Nadia Rose who helped me.   
  
The Wolf or the Man?  
By Maria Cline  
  
Running, all he could remember was running. The vast desert was before him and all he could do was run.   
  
Suddenly, a pack of wolves surrounded him and he looked frantically around. He couldn't fly, or blast anything.   
  
"Yamcha..." The man turned around to see a young woman with long brown hair. "Remember..." She whispered.  
  
*****  
  
"No!!!" Yamcha screamed as he sat up in bed. Sweat poured down his face as he wiped his hands. "Not... again..." Yamcha muttered as he breathed heavily and held his pillow to his chest.   
  
"Yamcha!" Puar squeaked as he flew in and landed on his bed. "Did you have that dream again?"  
  
"It's getting worst." Yamcha muttered, "Every night, those wolves... they hunted me and that girl."  
  
"You need to talk to someone about this." Puar suggested helpfully. "These dreams are getting to you."  
  
"No..." Yamcha shook his head as beads of sweat came down his face. "I can't... no... I must be stressed... I mean..." He closed his eyes as he leaned back. "I just need some rest."  
  
Puar couldn't say anything. His best friend is suffering and there was nothing he could do. "Okay... but just tell me. Okay?"  
  
"Sure." Yamcha smiled weakly as he lay down on his bed and tried to sleep.   
  
*****  
  
"Yamcha..." A soft voice whispered as Yamcha sat up and found himself in the desert again. Columns of stone rose around him as he stared out.   
  
"Oh shit..." Yamcha muttered when he gazed up and saw a full moon. "Full moon?" It must be a dream, the moon was gone. It had been destroyed many years ago by Piccolo himself. "No... what..."  
  
Wolves appeared around him again and Yamcha backed away. "Leave me alone!"  
  
They just stared up at him and then, they parted and another wolf came up to him. Yamcha gazed down and saw the wolf had the same scars as he.  
  
"Remember him?" The woman asked as she appeared next to him.  
  
Yamcha couldn't speak as he stare at woman and then the wolf.   
  
*****  
  
"A wolf with your scars?" Bulma repeated as Yamcha sat at the table. Despite the fact that they had fallen out of love many years ago, they were still good friends. They still visit each other some times and would talk to each other about things that they couldn't tell anyone else.   
  
"Yeah..." Yamcha nodded as sweat came down his face. "It was freaky. It's been going on for weeks and it's getting worst."  
  
"And it's always the same woman?" Bulma asked as she watched her friend try to calm down.  
  
"Yeah... she was tall, like me, with long brown hair, and dark eyes. And... I can't remember what she was wearing..." Yamcha admitted as he half-laughed.  
  
"Ha ha..." Bulma bit her lip, "But... this could be serious... did anything serious happened to you before that? Anything traumatic?"  
  
"Oh..." Yamcha rolled his eyes, "A major demon attacked the Tournament... Vegita killed many people... oh yeah, I died after being turned to chocolate... other than that... nothing major."  
  
Bulma snickered at the comment. "Okay... that could do as a nightmare but... the dream doesn't seem to be related..." Bulma shook her head at the strange dream. "Okay... well... I may hate to say this but someone could be trying to tell you something. These days, we could believe anything."  
  
"So... I should go to the desert? See what I could find?" Yamcha guessed as he got up. His breathing became calm as he thought about going back to his former home. It had been many years since he had left the desert to be with Bulma. Now, he will have to go back to quiet his fast paced heart.  
  
"Yeah. Alone." Bulma said, "Puar can stay here while you're gone."  
  
Yamcha smiled at his friend and nodded. "Thanks... Bulma... I hope..." He closed his eyes, saw the wolf with the scars in his mind and he shuttered. "I hope..."  
  
*****  
  
"Yamcha!" Puar insisted as Yamcha packed a few supplies for his long journey. "You can't go through this alone!"  
  
Yamcha sighed as he gazed at his friend. Puar had been with him constantly for a good part of his life, except when he went off to try to save the world. This time, he had to do this journey on his own. "I have to... these dreams are meant for me alone." Yamcha insisted, "And... I may need to remember something."  
  
"Yamcha..." Puar sobbed as he grabbed Yamcha's head. "I don't want you to leave me!" He wailed at the top of his lungs. "You might not come back!"  
  
"I'll be back for you." Yamcha promised as he patted the cat on his head. "One way or another."  
  
Tears came down his face as the cat reluctantly nodded and released his grip. He didn't want to let go but Yamcha needed to do this. There was something that he may need to remember and he needed to do this alone. "Okay." Puar sniffed as he let go. "But, you will come back right?"  
  
"Yes... I will..." Yamcha whispered as he patted the cat again.  
  
*****  
  
Yamcha landed on the vast landscape. He was dressed in his old tribal uniform and carried only a couple of capsules for shelter and water. He started walking in one direction. He didn't know where he should go but the desert and the wolves beckoned him.   
  
He walked for hours under the blazing sun, drinking water when he needed it and resting only to regain his strength. The blazing sun slowly began to set in the west and the cold night started to set in. Yamcha sat down and then a group of stone columns appeared in the distance. "The columns..." Yamcha realized as he walked toward the columns. Standing in the middle was a young woman in a long robe smiling softly. "You..."  
  
"Hello, Yamcha, it's been a long time." The woman said as she came forward. "We were waiting for you. I understand that you have questions about the messages."  
  
"The dreams." Yamcha realized as he sat down on a rock. "What about the dreams? Who was the scarred wolf? Was he me? Or a part of me I don't know about?"  
  
"I can explain." The woman said, "But, you must be willing to understand that there will be a choice you must make."   
  
"I just want to know." Yamcha whispered as he gazed at the woman. "What is going on?"  
  
The woman looked up and said, "In order for you to understand the present dreams, you must understand the past's reality." She took a hand full of sand and it slowly flowed onto the ground revealing a picture. "Many years ago... long before the Saiyan known as Kakarot or as you would call him 'Goku' had landed here, there were a tribe of wolves who are unique."   
  
The picture revealed a pack of wolves running along the desert.   
  
"The wolves are special, they are far more intelligent than other wolves and even werewolves and weremen." The woman explained, "They speed across the desert looking for food and water and companions. One day... a disaster happened and many of the wolves died, one pup was separated from the pack."  
  
The picture changed to reveal a small gray wolf pup.   
  
"The pup wandered for days, looking for its pack. But then, a witch came and founded the pup. Feeling lonely, she used her magic to transform the pup into a little boy."   
  
The picture changed to reveal a mysterious figure and the pup transforming into a little boy.  
  
"Me..." Yamcha whispered as he knelt down. He remembered a woman taking care of him ever since he was five. He was scared but the woman tried so hard to help him. "But... I ran away..."  
  
"Because, deep down you hated her for taking away your wolf form." The woman sighed, "It wasn't right for her to do that to an animal despite the good it did for the world. You suffered for it."  
  
Yamcha closed his eyes as he thought about his life. He never felt too comfortable around other people, especially pretty girls. Puar, his best friend in the world, was a cat and he felt somewhat comfortable around him. After he had gotten over his fear, he founded himself constantly looking at girls, even after he became Bulma's boyfriend, he never really wanted to stop. "I was lonely."  
  
"Because, you were never among your true kind." The woman said as she put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Yamcha gasped as he remembered the touch. The same touch given by the woman who had taken care of him so long ago. "You were the one." Yamcha whispered as he looked up. "You were the one who transformed me into a... human!" He jumped back and glared at her.  
  
"I was lonely and wanted a son of my own." The woman sighed, "I wish to show you what I did and maybe you can get back to the way you are before. I don't have the power to do so since the spell had been casted a long time ago... but tonight, with the help of your family, you can go back to what you were before." The woman explained as wolves came forward and sat around him. They all stared up at him with familiar eyes.   
  
"I... don't know." Yamcha muttered as he looked down at his human hands. "I'm scared. This is so... sudden." He confessed, "I've been human all my life! I got friends who might not understand."  
  
"You are lonely... and your friends will understand." The woman said, "You have become too tamed by the humans, please come home."  
  
Yamcha's eyes teared up as he thought of Puar and Bulma, and all his friends who he had known his entire life. Could he leave them behind to rejoin his pack? He trembled as he knelt down and whispered, "I wanna come home."  
  
"Good." The woman said as she held up her staff. "Let's begin!"  
  
The wolves looked up and they howled in unison. A bright light shone over Yamcha's body as he looked up to see a full moon and howled as well.  
  
*****  
  
It was quiet at the Capsule Corps as Puar sat outside staring at the stars. It had been a week since Yamcha had left and deep down he felt something was wrong. Bulma got out as well and saw the cat sitting on one of the lawn chairs. "Hey, Puar." Bulma sighed as she looked up. "Did Yamcha call yet?"  
  
"No..." Puar muttered as he sighed. "He's been gone for a long time and he didn't call or anything!"  
  
"I'm sure he'll be back. He always does." Bulma said as she thought, **Even when his heart was broken by Trunks' birth.**  
  
Suddenly, they heard a small growl or woof from the bushes. Bulma and Puar tensed as Bulma got out a small handgun. "Who's there?" Bulma demanded.  
  
"It's me." A rough but familiar voice whispered.  
  
"Y-yamcha?" Puar squeaked in shock. "Why are you hiding?"  
  
"Yeah! Come on out! You nearly scared Puar and me half to death!" Bulma screamed as she put away her gun.  
  
"I didn't mean to..." The voice said even softer than before, "I just didn't want to startle you. I... I found out what my dreams mean. I won't blame you if you were shocked or didn't want to see me again."   
  
Bulma knelt down to the bushes where she was sure Yamcha's voice came from. "I've seen many weird things in my life. I've seen a little boy change into a monster, I've seen people flying without wings or machines, I've even seen death itself, don't worry about scaring me."  
  
"Okay... step back a little." Yamcha warned as Bulma stepped back. Puar looked on as his heart pounded in his chest.  
  
A tall gray wolf came out of the bushes and shook away any loose leaves. He was strong, with a thick gray/silver coat, and a set of familiar looking scars. "Hi..." He said meekly.  
  
Puar and Bulma just stared at the wolf. His voice and scars were so familiar and yet, they couldn't believe what they saw in front of their eyes. "Y-yamcha?" Puar whispered as he stepped back in almost fright of the large wolf in front of him.  
  
The wolf nodded slowly as he lowered his head. "Yeah." He finally said, "It's me."  
  
Bulma slumped down to the ground as the wolf slowly came up to her. "Oh man... okay... now... I've seen everything." Bulma exclaimed as she reached up and gently pet the wolf's head. "Are you all right? I mean... does it hurt?" She whispered as she stroke Yamcha's soft fur.  
  
"No..." The wolf sighed as he looked away, "In fact... I never felt better in my life."  
  
"What happened to you?" Puar squeaked in shock as he stared at his transformed friend.  
  
"I was born a wolf and a witch changed me into a human when I was a boy." Yamcha explained as he looked down at himself. "That's why I was a loner and well... that's the way I was." Yamcha whispered, if he could cry, tears would came down his face. "So... the witch turned me back... and well... I feel better. I feel more like myself than I have in my entire life. I just hope that you guys would understand."  
  
"Oh Yamcha..." Bulma sobbed as she wrapped her arms around Yamcha's neck. "It's okay."  
  
"Yeah..." Puar sighed as he patted Yamcha on the head. It obviously was hard for Yamcha to even come back in his bestial state. "Where are you going now?"  
  
Yamcha tilted his head to the west and replied, "Back to the desert with my pack. I... just want to let you know about this... so you don't have to gather any Dragon Balls to wish me back."   
  
"Oh..." Bulma said as she let go and still stroke Yamcha's fur. "Will you visit us once in a while?"  
  
Yamcha nuzzled Bulma's hand and replied, "If you want me to."   
  
"Of course... you are welcomed here any time." Bulma said as she patted Yamcha's nose. "Just don't attack Dad's cat."  
  
"I won't." Yamcha snorted relieved that Bulma and Puar are taking his 'change' well. He had been afraid that they may faint or worst not believe that he was really Yamcha.  
  
"Can I come with you?" Puar asked as he sat next to Yamcha.   
  
"Huh?" Yamcha lifted his head up and looked at Puar. "You want to come with me?"  
  
"Why not? I can blend in." Puar insisted as he transformed into a wolf as well.  
  
"But..." Yamcha grimaced, "it might be dangerous... traveling in the desert... and besides, the others will notice. But..." He sighed as he tried to think of his future without his little sidekick at his side. Yamcha glanced to the darkness to see the other wolves hiding in the darkness waiting for him. As one, they nodded to let him keep Puar. "They probably won't mind. You can come."  
  
"Yay!" Puar changed back to his normal self and hugged Yamcha tightly.   
  
Yamcha smiled slightly as his tail wagged. "We better get going..." The wolf said as he got up. "Bye, Bulma. Thanks."  
  
"Say bye to Trunks for me!" Puar said as he hopped onto Yamcha's back.  
  
"You take care, both of you." Bulma whispered as the two ran off into the shadows and vanished. She turned her back to walk back inside to tell the news when she heard a distinct howl in the distance, followed by a group of howls. Bulma fought the urge to cry as she looked backed up into the sky and whispered, "Good luck, Yamcha."  
  
The End... 


End file.
